Q1: 1. Is the primary mirror on the 8" made of Pyrex glass? 2. Do I need to buy any extra attachments to make the eyepieces that come with the telescope work? 3. How much is shipping (to Roseburg, Oregon)?

A: The new StarHopper telescopes are made with Pyrex glass. You will not need to purchase anything else to make the eyepieces work with the telescope, the telescope includes everything you need to get started.

Q2: I would like to purchase this package with the eyepiece and filter kit. But it is out of stock. When do you expect to get the 8in. dobsonian in stock? Also, what will the shipping cost to Crisfield, Maryland (21817)? I would like to use my card that has the "debit" option which I prefer to use. I would "charge" as a last resort. Will the company have a problem with this? THANK YOU

A: The new StarHopper Dobsonian telescopes are currently not out yet. They are brand new. Celestron is telling us we will see them in stock at the end of June. The Eyepiece and Filter kit would be a great choice for that scope. To get a shipping quote, you can add all the items you wish to purchase to your cart, it will ask for your location and quote you the total price. We accept both Debit and Charge cards without any problems.

Q3: What is the maximum magnification with the 6", 8" and 10" StarHOpper dobsonian telescopes.

A: The best way to determine this is to take the focal length of the telescope and devide it by the eyepiece used. This will tell the magnification. The maximum for each, in my opinion would be to use a 5mm eyepiece.

Q4: I am thinking of buying the 8" starhopper but have to get a friend to bring it out to South Africa for me. What size package does it get shipped in and what is the weight?

A: The shpping weight is 61 lbs. The package comes in two piece one for the base and one for the tube. The base package is a approximately 1.5 ft wide 2.5 feet long and 3ft tall. The tube package is approximately 4.5 feet tall and 3 feet wide by 3 feet in length.

Q5: I currently own a meade ETX-90EC and I want to buy a more powerful telescope, the Starhopper 8 or 10 Inch Dobsonian are my next choices, I Have a maximum power of 325 with my scope, do you have a better advice for a budget up to 500? Thanks

A: If your are comfortable with using a Dobsnian that will be the most inexpensive way to get a very large aperture telescope in your price range. The downside though is that with the dobsonian style telescopes there is not Autostar capability, as it uses a swivel mount. But again for the price you get a much bigger scope than you could normally get.

Q6: When fully put together how tall is the mount and scope?

A: When assembled and pointed at the zenith, the 8-inch Starhopper is approximately 5 feet tall.

Q7: how can i take pictures with my 35mm hp camera that my celestron 8 inch dobsonian shows . I want take pictues of planets, nebulas and galaxies

A: It's pretty hard to take pictures through a Dobsonian telescope. That's for two reasons, and both have to do with the mount. First, the simple altazimuth mount will not allow the telescope tube to be aligned with the Earth's axis, so you'll get star streaks, not star points, as the Earth rotates out from "under" the objects you're photographing. Second, the mount cannot be equipped for automated tracking, so objects will quickly disappear from the field of view due to the Earth's rotation. You can, perhaps, snap some short-exposure pictures using the Zhumell Universal Digital Camera Adapter (small). However, you will find it very difficult to use the camera without bumping the tube and losing the object you're trying to photograph. If you're really interested in astrophotography, your best bet would be to use a telescope equipped with a GoTo device or at least a motor drive to automate tracking.